Our team of specialists helps patients regain optimum urologic function for long-term quality of life.

A Multidisciplinary Team Treating Urologic Cancers

Many urologic cancers require surgery and/or radiation treatments. Comprehensive care is important, including exacting pathology analysis and active surveillance for issues like elevated PSA levels. With the most comprehensive treatment programs in Connecticut, Hartford Hospital offers the latest drug therapies and leading-edge medical technologies. We treat the largest number of prostate cancer patients in Connecticut – as many as 600 a year.

Our multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists is led by a urologic oncologist who coordinates care from medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and clinical research nurses. Complex urologic oncology cases are presented at our tumor board meetings, where a highly specialized cancer treatment team comes to a consensus on the best plan of care. Our treatment team ensures you know what to expect during your treatment and at home, offering a full range of supports from biofeedback and other integrative therapies to educational seminars and patient support groups.

Pioneers in Robotic Surgery

Exacting surgical precision is important to preserving sexual function and continence. Our surgeons were early pioneers of robotic prostate surgery with the daVinci system. Requiring only small incisions, our surgeons get a three-dimensional computerized view of even the smallest surgical field. They guide surgical instruments using remarkably precise robotic arms. Patients experience less blood loss from this highly accurate surgery, recover faster and get back to their normal lives more quickly.

Another breakthrough in urologic cancer treatment is brachytherapy for prostate cancer. Even more precise than “gamma knife” radiosurgery, with brachytherapy radioactive seeds are implanted in the prostate gland, emitting low-dose radiation over several weeks or months. Using temporary brachytherapy, tiny catheters deliver highly radioactive iridium-192 seeds to the tumor. Advanced computer technology controls how long each seed remains in each catheter—from fractions of a second up to many seconds. By selectively controlling radiation doses in different regions of the prostate, temporary brachytherapy can spare the urethra from radiation damage.